An editorial from The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — The West Virginia Senate passed a comprehensive bill Wednesday that would fund repairs and maintenance for the state’s deplorable roads.
The bill passed on a 25-9 bipartisan vote, with all of southern West Virginia’s senators voting with the majority except for Sen. President Bill Cole, R-Mercer.
The bill provides for increasing the consumer sales tax by 1 percent, as well as hiking DMV fees. It also lowers the privilege tax on new car purchases, but changes the way the tax is calculated. Some of the DMV fees have been unchanged for 30 to 40 years.
The bill must now go the House of Delegates were its fate would be in question. House members have voiced no interest in raising taxes, and instead are searching the state’s $4.3 billion budget for places to cut.
We would urge delegates not to reject the Senate’s bill out of hand…